MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Atharva Yeola, B.S. The Qualcomm Institute at UC San Diego MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: We initiated this study because, in the wake of the 2018 Murphy v. NCAA decision, sportsbooks began to proliferate at an unprecedented pace—expanding from a single state in 2017 to 38 states by early 2024. Accompanying that surge, the total amount bet on sports skyrocketed from $4.9 billion in 2017 to $121.1 billion in 2023, with 94% of wagers during 2023 occurring online. However, public health discussions lagged behind this explosive growth. We wanted to gauge whether this rapid adoption of sports betting, especially via easily accessible online platforms, was associated with increases in problem gambling and gambling addiction.